Lani Belcher
Lani Belcher is a British canoeist who previously represented Australia. She competed in the Canoeing at the 2016 Summer [Olympics – Women's K-2 500 metres|women's K-2 500 metres] event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Belcher won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Canoe Marathon World Championships in South Africa.
Early life
Belcher was born in Cobram, Victoria, Australia in 1989, and lived in Brisbane. Belcher was a triathlete and a track cyclist before she took up kayaking. She began training at the Australian Institute of Sport's facilities in the Gold Coast. In 2007, Belcher moved to England and trained at Elmbridge Canoe Club. At the end of the following year, Belcher was released by the Australian team, allowing her to represent Great Britain.Career
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Belcher finished in fifteenth place in the women's K-2 500 metres event, with her teammate Angela Hannah. Belcher and Hannah were included in the Olympics after teams representing Romania and Belarus were disqualified for doping.In 2017, at the 2017 ICF [Canoe Marathon World Championships|ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships] in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Belcher won gold in the Women's K-1 event. It was Britain's first gold medal in the event in more than a decade.